Paul Nicholls has no idea how the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup will pan out but he is confident Kauto Star will give a good account of himself on March 16.
Kauto Star looked to be on the wane a year ago when he was well beaten by Long Run in both the King George V Chase and the Gold Cup, while he looked a shadow of his former self when he was pulled up at Punchestown.
However, he has turned back the clock this season with wins in the Betfair Chase and King George VI Chase, beating Long Run on both occasions, and as a result he is once again among the leading fancies for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"If Kauto was four years younger, then he would be favourite, but I suppose people think Long Run will be better suited to Cheltenham and he is the champion after all," Nicholls told the Racing UK podcast.
"Without a doubt, Kauto is better than last season, and it is difficult to know whether Long Run has improved since last year, so it should bring them closer together.
"Not having Denman in the race will also help, as he would harry and pressurise him at the top of the hill. The quicker they go the better early on, but then it's just a case of getting a breather in, and Kauto never had that chance with Denman up his backside.
"Last year, he wasn't quite finishing, but if we can get him a bit fitter, he should finish better up the hill.
"He's cantered pretty much every day since the King George; we haven't been too hard on him but now's the time to up a gear. We've got five weeks to really tune him up and got some hard graft to do to get his fitness levels up, along with a bit of schooling."
Nicholls has been amazed at how well Kauto Star has taken his racing this year and he believes there is very little to choose between himself and Long Run.
"It took him a while to get over his races last year. These two races were like he was when he was at his very best. He was so fresh the next day. He's a confidence horse and there's no sign of aging," he went on.
"Going into the King George, we thought Long Run would improve for his first run and thought he was the one to beat.
"But I was astounded at how Kauto had improved and looked before Kempton. I think it's even stevens between them now."